Moistener.



F; "FUPETERS.

MOiSTEMER.

. APPQCATION mm'mu! as. me.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY FRANKLIN F. PETERS, 0F WINNIIEEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

MOIS-TENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 11918.

Application filed July 18, 1916. Serial No. 109,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN F. Pn'rnns, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at \Vinnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Moisteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to envelop and bill moisteners, or the like, and has for an object to provide a device in the form of a ring or annular member adapted to be encircled around and held upon the thumb of the hand, and provided with a piece of absorbent material, whereby the material may be supplied with water and a convenient means thereby provided for moistening the fingers when counting paper currency or for other purposes which will become apparent as the nature of the invention is more clearly understood.

In addition to the foregoing, my invention comprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts, to be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the-accompanying drawings, in which similar and corresponding parts are designated by the same characters of reference throughout the several views in which they appear;

Figure 1, is a view in side elevation of my moistener, illustrating its application upon the thumb.

Fig. 2, is a front View thereof.

Fig. 3, is a view of my device in section, and,

Fig. 4:, is a view in section taken on a line at right angles to the section of Fig. 3.

With reference to the drawings, 1 indicates an annular band of rubber or other flexible material, having formed integrally therewith and at one side, an enlargement 2 which is substantially elliptical in conformation, and formed with a recess 3. The device resembles to some extent a finger ring having a large setting. The enlargement is formed with an inner flattened face 4:, and when the device is placed upon the thumb, the soft part thereof is disposed against said flattened face. A piece of sponge 5, or other absorbent material is placed and held within the recess 3, with a portion of said material projecting from without the recess as indicated in Fig. 1.

In the use of this device for counting paper currency, the sponge is saturated with water and the device placed upon the thumb substantially in the manner illustrated. It is the practice of persons engaged in counting paper currency, to place the side of the thumb upon the top of the stack of bills. and to rapidly engage the uppermost bills, one at a time and raise them partly from the stack to beheld by the other hand. During such counting movements, the fingers move rapidly and the thumb andforefingers repeatedly brought together. Therefore, with my device upon the thumb, the forefinger will be continually moistened without the necessity of occasionally grasping a re motely situated moistening sponge of the kind at present used. In moistening envelops, the sponge 5 is of course applied directly to the gummed surface of the flap. The device being made entirely of soft rub her, the bills of the stack may be more securely held by the engagement of the side of the device therewith, as the thumb is laid upon the stack, than would be possible with the bare thumb. It is preferable that the device be made of soft rubber as stated, as the best results are obtained by its use, but other materials may be employed if any improvement or advantage is gained.

WVhile I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, I realize that many alterations thereover may be made, and I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form or the material of the device, or otherwise altering the arrangement of the parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as new and ters Patent is:

desire to secure by Let- 1. A moistening device including a socket 5 member of soft rub a sponge,

and means on ber adapted to contain said member for securing the same to the finger.

2. A moistening d evice including a socket member of soft rubber adapted to contain a sponge, and a band of soft rubber formed 10 integrally with said member to embrace a finger to secure the member thereto.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN F. PETERS. Witnesses: i JAMES L. BATTY,

W. F. SELLER;

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained tor five cents each, by addressing the *fiommissioner 02 Patent,

Washington, D. 0." V 

